Ardler
| Ardler | |
|---|---|
 Ardler
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| Ardler shown within the City of Dundee | |
| Population | 2,832 |
| OS grid reference | NO376333 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DUNDEE |
| Postcode district | DD2 |
| Dialling code | 01382 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Ardler is an area in the north-west of Dundee, Scotland, built on land previously owned by Downfield Golf Club. The housing scheme was completed in the late 1960s and originally included six 17-storey multi-storey blocks that formed the northern part of the scheme. These were demolished between 1993 and 2007 as part of a major programme of regeneration due to finish in 2011.
The origins of the name ‘Ardler’ are unclear, and certainly not to be confused with the village named Ardler in Perth and Kinross (near Coupar Angus and 15 miles north-west of Dundee). The name can be found on maps in the 18th century as ‘Airdlaw’, which could mean that it was the settlement of the Aird family. On the other hand, ‘aird’ or ‘erd’ is Scots for earth, so could simply relate to the fact that where the housing scheme is now was once farmland. Ardler Cottages, Ardler ponds (feeding into the Gelly burn, which now runs underground through the middle of Ardler) and three fields once stood on the current site of Downfield Golf Course just to the west of the scheme. These cottages were part of the Camperdown Estate until the land was bought by Dundee City Council.
Just to the east of Ardler Cottages was more farmland which later became a 9-hole golf course, with the land rented from the Camperdown Estate. In 1932, with the land having been returned to agricultural use during the First World War, Downfield Golf Club was formed and the land remained a golf course until 1964.
To the south of and partly incorporating the area where Ardler presently stands was Blackshade, a post-World War II prefabricated housing development intended as a solution to the housing problems of the time, with rapid building needed to meet the demands of long housing waiting lists and those coming home from war. To the north was St Mary’s, built in the 1950s, with the golf course in the land depression between the two with the Gelly Burn running through the middle.
In the 1960s the need for affordable housing was still apparent in Dundee, and the site of Downfield Golf Club was seen as an appropriate location. A land transfer between the Council and the Club saw the golf course move to its current location where Ardler Cottages and their fields once stood. The prefabricated houses on the site of the new development were demolished in the early 1960s, and the new scheme was built. On the south part of the site were ‘courtyards’, bungalows with an enclosed courtyard which offered some privacy, walk-ups and maisonettes, with shared entrances which may have been intended to further increase a community spirit, and in the north were the multi-storey blocks. Most were small, 2-bedroom houses, ideal for a first home or for small families, but less so for larger families. In all there were 1,177 house units and six multi-storey blocks containing 1,788 flats, making 2,965 new houses in total. Added to this were the 18 houses that were above the new shopping centre making, with remaining older housing, 3,254 houses on the estate. The homes were very desirable for those coming from Lochee and other parts of Dundee and many of the original residents were very pleased to have a house in Ardler. The scheme was provided with many facilities, mostly in the centre of the area, in an apparent attempt to create a strong sense of community. Yet for some residents there were almost two Ardlers, the houses in the southern half of the scheme and, on the hill overlooking them, the multis.
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Wikipedia